Turtle Wax, a global name in the car care industry, entered the Indian market this year. With its aggressive plans and the ongoing demand for car care products, the company aims at becoming one of the largest care car product suppliers in Doing It Yourself (DIY) segment, besides, establishing a strong presence in Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) space.

According to Sajan Murali Puravangara, Country Manager and Director, Turtle Wax India, the car care industry is an integral part of the automotive industry, and changing buying preference from the mileage, and low maintenance to aesthetics, safety, comfort and features are fuelling demand for car care products.

“India has been witnessing good growth in car sales in last decade, whereas in the last five years, we see traction in the car care industry on account of changing trends or reasons to buy a car. In recent years, the way people look at the car has changed. They buy cars for the looks and features, and that also led to an interest to keep their cars new, tidy and clean; this is bringing demand for car care products. The interest is also coming from the mass car segment. In the last two years, we are getting the indication that the car care industry will be the next sunshine industry in the future,” explained Puravangara.

Turtle Wax, a family-owned company, has been in the car care business for nearly 75 years and operates in over 120 countries. Before establishing its third subsidiary in India, the company has been operating with two subsidiaries- the US and Europe.

India has a population over 1.3 billion and only 22 people out of a thousand own car, while in the US and UK, 980 and 850 per 1,000 individuals have a car, respectively. The massive headroom for the car segment in the next one-and-a-half-decade will trigger further growth for the car care segment in the long term, opines Puravangara.

According to a research report, the current car care industry in India is slightly less than one billion USD and expected to reach $1.44 billion in 2027. Explaining the growth factors, the report says, people usually keep their cars for more than seven years in India, and hence car care products are being increasingly used to restore the paint and for detailing and interiors. Along with this, many car care product manufacturers from Europe and North American markets have their presence in India through e-commerce websites and strong dealership networks. The same report adds that by 2027, the interior car care product segment will be around of $0.73 billion, while the exterior car product market will grow to USD 0.7 billion.

Consumer behaviour, cheap labour, and lack of necessary know-how make the Indian car care industry more challenging for the companies to operate in the DIY space.

In western countries, cars are a part of the family, and family members take basic care. In the US and other developed countries, the DIY segment is about 80 percent of the total car care industry; however, in India, it is of around 30 percent. “In countries like India, due to the hectic work schedule and cheap labour, DIFM dominates in the car care segment. There is always a third person to take basic care of cars in India. Coupled with this, the know-how is fairly lower in India when it comes to basic things such what wax can do to your car and what are the ways to protect cars’ interior and exterior,” Puravangara said.

However, the pandemic in the last eight months has proven useful for the car care segment. “We have seen momentum in the DIY business in the last six months. Since people have been at home, they have a lot of time at their disposal. They find time to take care of their cars. We are also seeing people are increasingly enquiring on different social media platforms on how to take care of their cars and sharing other issues,” he said.

As a part of the strategy to penetrate its products, the company will heavily focus on educating consumers on primary car care and the company’s products. “Being a global leader in the car care industry, it is our top priority to educate people on car care, know-how and our product usages and benefits.”

In the next three to four months, the company will start campaigns on social media channels. The campaign will invite consumers with their queries or to share their experience and issues.

“The company will also bring out videos on how to use our products and use the social influencers on YouTube and Instagram,” Puravangara said.

Though India is seeing a growing number of women behind in the wheel, the car care industry is yet to consider women as their potential customers. However, Turtle Wax understands the role of women in the overall automotive industry and expects the growing number of women car owners evidently will reflect in the car care industry.

To widen its customer base, the company will also promote the car wash as a family celebration where family members will take participate in washing, cleaning and taking care of the car. “Washing and cleaning cars is a family affair in many countries, and therefore the company will be promoting the same in India as well,” added he.

However, external factors that also possess further challenges for car care products. Considering vast territories, different weather, pollutions and scarcity and quality of water put car care product performance under severe pressure. Keeping the external challenges in mind, the company plans to bring in products that are suitable to the Indian markets.

“A larger challenge is not only the availability of water but the hard water which leaves marks on the car. Coupled with this, extreme temperature and dust and pollution affect the car. We are bringing in the products that will take care of cars in the Indian environment. We have asked the company to make products suitable for the Indian market,” said the executive.

Currently, the company offers the products required to clean, shine and protect the car inside out. The product portfolio includes shampoo to clean, wax to shine and various interior cleaners in the form of foam and liquid to clean the interiors of the car. It also offers various speciality products like trim restorer, chrome polish, headlight lens restorer, Odor-X Odor removing solutions, etc. to address specific car care requirements. Turtle Wax also has a ceramic coating that has 10H hardness which gives the high gloss, ultra-hydrophobicity, extreme chemical resistance, UV protection and easy cleaning properties. The company plans to bring in graphene-based ceramic coating solutions, which is the new technology in the car care industry.

The company is planning to bring 75th-anniversary Ceramic Paste Wax in Q1 2021, and will also introduce windshield washer fluid shortly in India. Other products from the company for the India market include all-metal polish that polishes all metal surfaces of the car’s exterior; Glass cleaner to keep the glass streak-free during the ride; ClearVue Rain Repellent that helps get better visibility during the monsoon rains; Trim Restorer since the Trims fades here in India more than the rest of the world and Windscreen washer fluid to remove the dirt and grime from the windshield glass.

The company will also introduce waterless washing products that cater to areas where water is scarce. The company’s waterless wash and wax has advanced polymer technology that lifts dirt to prevent starching, while the enriched wax gives a shiny and protective finish. Its rain repellent formula prevents watermarks and extends time in between cleaning.

The company will also bring in its Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions ICE Seal N Shine, premium car paint sealant. The ICE Seal N Shine gives the car a layer of super-hydrophobic silicone for up to six months of protection against streaks, scratches and swirls.

To set up its network, the company will go through a distribution route and for which it has selected 23 cities, which have larger car density. Turtle Wax India is appointing own distributors in these cities who will take care of retailers and workshops. It has also identified another 48 towns in which it will supply products to dealers who will provide the products in the respective markets.

“We will have our main presence in all metro cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, and additional upcoming cities like Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Cochin, Surat etc,” he added.

The company plans to have about 10,000 outlets by the end of next June. Turtle Wax India has also set up the car care studios in Pune, Bangalore and New Delhi. The studio will be not based on a franchise concept; instead, it will be a co-branded activity. “We provide our products and branding support, but the studios also keep their brand identity,” he said. The company also has plants to have such studios in its 23 cities.

Puravangara declined to share the current revenue and future commercial targets but said sales numbers are increasing with each passing month. Currently, the company is importing its products from global subsidiaries, but he said the company will have a look into setting up local production capabilities. “The way it is going, we will have to do something locally as well. I don’t think we will be able to manage (the demand) with our global support when the demand goes up,” he said.

The company is looking for an option of re-packaging under which it will get bulk products and repack for the domestic market. “We will also see if some India oriented products will be manufactured here, completely. Those options are quite open,” he added.

Many Indians are using hair shampoo sachets to wash cars. When asked whether the company is looking to introduce car wash shampoo in sachets, he said it will not look into sachet option but will be looking to have a bottle of 100 to 200 ml. “We are still looking at those options of small bottles, but per wash, cost increases with smaller bottles,” he added.

Talking on the challenges, he said, it is on finalising the complete product portfolio that suits to the rapidly changing requirements of the Indian market. “We need to keep reinventing on products to be a leader in the market,” he concluded. (MT)

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US-headquartered vehicle cockpit and technology company Visteon Corporation has announced the appointment of Gary Hicok to its board of directors, effective 1 July 2026, who is also set to serve on the company’s Technology Committee.

Hicok has nearly 25 years of experience at Nvidia, where he served as Senior Vice President and led the company's automotive, mobile (Tegra) and PC core logic businesses and directed Xbox chip development. He was also involved in developing infrastructure for AI platforms, robotics and real-time computing.

Before his tenure at Nvidia, he held senior positions at Trident Microsystems, Cirrus Logic and VLSI Technology, focusing on PC audio, 3D graphics and system-on-chip (SoC) architectures. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and holds 40 U.S. patents.

Francis Scricco, Chair of Visteon's Board, said, "We are delighted to welcome Gary Hicok to Visteon's board of directors. Gary brings a unique combination of automotive, semiconductor and systems leadership experience gained over decades at the forefront of technology innovation. His leadership in building NVIDIA's automotive business and advancing complex computing platforms will provide valuable perspective as Visteon continues to accelerate innovation for software-defined vehicles and next-generation cockpit solutions."

Hicok stated, "Visteon's leadership in digital cockpit technologies, software-defined architectures and AI-enhanced solutions provides a strong foundation for growth. Beyond automotive applications, the company's AI and software capabilities have the potential to address opportunities across a range of intelligent, connected systems markets. I am excited to join the board and contribute to Visteon's continued innovation, growth and value creation."

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Flying Flea, the newly established urban electric mobility brand from Royal Enfield, has officially commenced retail deliveries of its debut electric motorcycle, the FF.C6, in Bengaluru. Alongside the vehicle rollout, the brand has introduced an integrated connected ownership ecosystem and a localised service framework.

The FF.C6 is available in two colour configurations – Storm Black and Flea Green. Flying Flea is utilising a city-by-city rollout strategy, establishing its initial commercial footprint in Bengaluru before expanding to other markets.

The vehicle is positioned with two distinct ownership pricing structures – INR 279,000 (ex-showroom) for the complete motorcycle and the integrated battery pack infrastructure. It can be had as Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) Tier at INR 199,000, which lowers the initial acquisition cost by unbundling the battery pack from the vehicle chassis, allowing owners to pay for energy utilisation separately.

To support the product rollout, Flying Flea has deployed a decentralised hub-and-spoke service network across Bengaluru to manage both routine maintenance and specialised technical repairs. The Primary Hub located in BTM Layout has a specialised facility that is equipped to handle complex electrical diagnostics, battery health management and advanced technical support.

The spoke centres will act as distributors across various sectors of the city. These touchpoints are optimised for high-throughput routine service, software recalibrations and minor wear-and-tear maintenance.

Flying Flea is leveraging Royal Enfield's existing corporate footprint by establishing dedicated ‘shop-in-shop’ formats inside operational Royal Enfield showrooms and service bays. This integration grants the new brand immediate scaling advantages and extensive service reach.

Additionally, all FF.C6 units are backed by a standard 24x7 Roadside Assistance (RSA) program to provide continuous emergency support to riders.

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Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd. (FFPL) marked a major milestone on 10 June 2026 in Pune by completing 1,500 free mobile medical health camps. Over the past four years, this corporate social responsibility initiative has expanded preventive healthcare access across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nashik in partnership with the Samarth Yuva Foundation.

The programme has delivered doorstep medical care and health awareness to underserved communities, resulting in over 500,000 free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and complete blood counts. Additionally, the camps have provided 3,500 mammography screenings, eye check-ups, more than 100,000 reading spectacles and dental care services benefiting over 50,000 individuals.

A special event titled Service and Dedication was held in Pune, gathering healthcare professionals, volunteers and community members. Recognised as a notable regional outreach effort, the initiative promotes early diagnosis and regular check-ups. FFPL continues to prioritise healthcare, education and community development through its CSR programmes to create sustainable social impact.

Niranjan Kirloskar, Managing Director, Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd., said, “At Fleetguard Filters, we believe that access to quality healthcare is fundamental to building stronger and healthier communities. Through our CSR initiatives, we strive to create meaningful and lasting impact in the communities we serve. The milestone of 1,500 free mobile medical health camps reflects the power of collaboration and sustained commitment towards improving healthcare accessibility for underserved sections of society. We remain committed to supporting initiatives that contribute to healthier and more resilient communities.”

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Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has launched a new brand campaign ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, featuring its brand ambassadors Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues. The campaign builds on the success of the earlier men’s World Cup initiative titled ‘Deewane India ka Deewana Humsafar’ but presents a distinct narrative focused on celebrating the rising support and admiration for women’s cricket in India.

The campaign directly challenges the traditional label of cricket as a gentleman’s game with the bold message that the ‘gentle’ has been removed from the sport. Through strong visuals, it highlights the determination, skill and barrier-breaking performances of women cricketers, showing how their passion is transforming the game and deepening India’s love for cricket.

As a Premier Partner of the ICC, HMIL plans to engage fans during the tournament with curated digital content and targeted outreach. These efforts aim to amplify the excitement of the Women’s T20 World Cup, bring fans closer to the action and strengthen Hyundai’s emotional connection with cricket enthusiasts.

Virat Khullar, Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, “At Hyundai, we believe sport has the power to unite communities, inspire dreams and create meaningful connections. The overwhelming response to our ‘Deewane India Ka Deewana Humsafar’ campaign reaffirmed the deep emotional bond between cricket and its fans. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, we are proud to celebrate a new chapter of this passion by recognising the growing influence of women’s cricket and the millions of fans who continue to champion the game. This campaign aims to celebrate that shift and spotlight the incredible journeys of players like Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, who continue to break stereotypes and inspire millions. As a proud partner of the ICC, Hyundai remains committed to supporting this new era of cricket and standing alongside the champions who embody the true spirit of ‘Deewangi’.”

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